One way to explore local shopping — and create a unique bracelet — is Pendleton’s Charm Trail. To build one, visit local businesses and attractions to purchase souvenirs and create a bracelet. For a list of charm sites, visit travelpendleton.com/things-to-do/charm-trail.

PENDLETON — It may be one of the best kept secrets in Pendleton, but for a decade, the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce has hosted The Pendleton Charm Trail, an opportunity to make a one-of-a-kind souvenir while visiting sites and stores in Pendleton.

Bonnie Smythe, Pendleton Chamber membership director, said the charm trail has been around for a long time, but many people, even locals, do not know about it.

The idea behind the charm trail is simple: visit local businesses and attractions and collect souvenirs. By giving participants the choice of where to visit and which charms to buy, the Pendleton Charm Trail gives millions of charm bracelet combinations to reflect each individual’s choices, from a deck of playing cards to a blanket at the Pendleton Woolen Mills.

To begin the Charm Trail, stop into one of the five trailheads: The Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, 501 S. Main St.; Pendleton Underground Tours, 31 SW Emigrant Ave.; Pendleton Woolen Mills, 1307 SE Court Place; Round-Up & Happy Canyon Souvenir Store, 1330 SE Court Ave; or Western Soul, 224 SE Court Ave.

Next, purchase a Charm Trail bracelet with the signature charm, an Oregon-shaped charm with an image of a bucking bronc and a star showing where Pendleton is in the state.

The charm bracelets cost $6, and each trailhead also has additional charms that can be purchased for $1.50 each as well as the “Charm Guide,” which includes the addresses and contact information of almost 44 charm sites as well as what charm — or charms — are available at that site. To follow the trail, participants use the charm guide to pick different stops to visit and purchase additional charms.

The charms match the organization or business hosting them: a saddle at Hamley & Co, a newspaper at the East Oregonian or a bronc rider at the Round-Up & Happy Canyon Souvenir Store.

Some locations have multiple options where visitors can choose a charm — or pick up two or three — such as Heritage Station Museum, which offers a steam engine, a schoolhouse and a covered wagon charm.

For a full list of the charm trail sites and images of the individual charms, find the Charm Trail Guide at the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce or online at Travel Pendleton: travelpendleton.com/things-to-do/charm-trail.